4.4 Thematic Presentation of the Data and the Analysis Thereof
4.4.2. Novice teachers‟ perceived reasons on why these learner discipline problems
54 Although the improper use of school uniforms did not directly disrupt teaching and learning, it was expected of teachers to caution or call to order learners who dressed improperly. Their lack of respect for their school uniform reflected a low level of self-respect and discipline.
Vulgar language and insults aimed at teachers and fellow learners
The use of polite and appropriate words is usually considered to be an indicator of a good and well behaved learner, more specifically in a rural context where moral values and politeness are regarded with high social esteem. However, even in this rural school learners sometimes used vulgar and insulting words aimed at their teachers and peers.
Soffie remarked:
“When some of them, especially the boys, get angry they just swear at you. Eish! This usually gets me angry but there is little I can do”.
It was revealed that the use of such language was intentional and the learners used profanities to get back at their teachers who remained helpless in disciplining such unwanted behaviours.
Such language had an effect on the inexperienced teachers‟ mood as they were still inexperienced in managing their mood swing abilities. However, the use of vulgar words was not aimed at the teachers alone. Some learners would disrupt lessons by insulting their peers in a loud voice that would distract everyone in the classroom. Mafi stated:
“Sometimes in the middle of a lesson, you will just hear a learner swearing in a loud voice at another learner.”
Although these learners were aware that their behaviour was inappropriate, they seemed to do it since they knew that the teachers could not use corporal punishment on them as reported by both participants. This ideology concurs with literature identified by Mokhele, and Jita, (2011); Oliver & Reschly (2007).
4.4.2. Novice teachers’ perceived reasons on why these learner discipline problems
55 by the learners; the influence of drugs on learners; and the effect of class size as a source of learner discipline problems.
Disrespect for the school code of conduct
Each school should have a code of conduct from which the school rules should emanate SASA 84 of 1996. A school that has no code of conduct is poorly disciplined (Edwards, 2008), because the teachers might use incorrect disciplinary measures to address ill-discipline among learners. A school‟s code of conduct serves as a guide not only for disciplinary issues, but also for all school related activities, although it is predominantly dominated by a framework to curb learner disciplinary problems within the school (Adams, 2004; Edwards, 2008). The participants stated that the learners did not adhere to the rules as stipulated by the school‟s code of conduct. Learners came to school late almost on a daily basis despite the fact that the school rules stated the time the school started.
Mafa indicated:
“The gate is closed at eight o’clock, if the learner comes after eight o’clock; teachers leave the learner at the gate and lock it up. These late comers are allowed to get in at school during the break time. The Department official told us as educators that we should send the learners back home as the Minister of Education in KwaZulu-Natal always say in the media.
The intention is to let the parents aware of their learners late coming.
THE SECOND PARTICIPANT (SOFFIE) AGREED AND ADDED:
“Ja, late coming is in alarming rate at school especially during winter seasons.
Most of these learners did not stay close to the school which was located between two neighbouring villages. This implies that many learners had to get up early enough to make it to school on time. However, it seemed that most of them did not give education the priority it deserves, and therefore coming early to school was not an objective for most of these learners, irrespective of what was stipulated by the school‟s code of conduct.
Mafa explained:
“This is due to the long distances learners travel from. As we know that in winter the sun rises very late, these learners say that they wait the atmosphere to clear up its darkness since they travel in the forests. They wait for each other in order to go in groups.”
56 The teachers strongly held the belief that the learners were absent from school unnecessarily and claimed that their reasons were neither justifiable nor acceptable with respect to the school code of conduct.
Soffie stated:
“In the case where the teachers went to fetch a learner it was because that learner was absent from school for two weeks, she never came back after the school re-opened in July holidays”.
There was an indication that some of these learners did not take education seriously and as a consequence they did not obey the school rules and regulations. Such behaviours are exacerbated by the fact that the majority of the students lived with their grandparents, who find it very difficult to discipline these teenagers. Although the school‟s code of conduct stipulated an acceptable number of times a learner could be absent (this had been well communicated to the learners), most of them did not take this into cognisance, simply because they were fully aware of their rights. This attitude was exacerbated by the abolition of corporal punishment. The teachers understood so well that the classroom rules and regulations were important in disciplining learners which would result in improving the quality of education these learners received.
The influence of drugs on learners
The use of drugs and banned substances such as alcohol was identified by the teachers as one of the most destructive aspects of the learners‟ indiscipline. The use of these substances, as could be expected, severely influenced these learners to misbehave at school. Substance abuse like smoking cigarettes and dagga has been earmarked as the most commonly used by learners (Durodola, 2009).
Mafa mentioned:
“Some problems that we experience, violence is a very serious problem in our school, drugs too are serious problems”.
Some learners became uncontrollable after taking drugs. The teachers came to an instinctive understanding that learners‟ behaviours would probably change after break, which was when they took drugs.
57 Mafa said:
“Eish! They are troublesome, after they smoke dagga.”
The teachers believed that after break their learners were no longer the same, as their behaviours would be influence by drug inducement. They argued that this was the reason for the most serious cases of lack of discipline, especially violent and aggressive behaviours. It is a well recorded fact that the effects of drugs and other abusive substances have profound repercussions for the process of teaching and learning (Adams, 2004 Coetzee, 2009 &
Durodola, 2009).
The effect of class size as a source of learner discipline problems
The Department of Basic Education has a stipulated teacher to learner ratio which is one teacher is to thirty learners. In situations where the ratio is exceeded, the management of classroom activities becomes a very difficult challenge for teachers. Beginner teachers are faced with the challenge of a heavy daily work load, the management of the classroom during teaching and learning, as well as understanding the daily requirements of the curriculum itself.
Mafa explained:
“My class I have got few learners who are girls most of them are the boys. It’s a huge class about 50 learners. So when I am inside the class about the discipline I found it is more challenging to me to do discipline especially learners who are males. Sometimes you find that some male learners they have got an attitude towards the teacher who is a female. It is where I found it is hard for me to discipline the male learner.”
The study revealed that the teacher-learner ratio presented a challenge in this small rural secondary school. One novice teacher had to monitor over fifty learners as a class manager whereas he also had to teach more than five learning areas. The teachers stated clearly that learning did not take place as planned since there were frequent instances when the teaching was interrupted by disturbances due to insufficient attention being given to all the learners.
Furthermore, some of the learning areas that they had to teach were new to them.
Consequently they struggled with the learning content, which resulted in the learners not gaining trust in them while the lesson was being delivered.
58 4.4.3 The mechanisms that novice teachers used in the management of learner discipline